When we have a final mix that you and your band is happy
with, we master! I take that final stereo mix and begin the
process of making it “louder” as well as sonically balanced.
This can be done with hardware, software or a combination of
both. I typically start with the “loudness”. I set a digital limit
very close to clipping that will not allow any audio to go past.
AKA, a limiter.
Then I begin increasing volume and pushing it against that
limiter. As I do that, those peaks are knocked back down and
the more I increase volume, the louder it gets. On the flipside,
this is where you can run into trouble. There is a sweet spot,
sonically, where the mix sounds good and glued together. If
you pass that sweet spot, the mix can lose it’s feel and dynamics. It will be louder but not necessarily pleasing to the ear. In
a nutshell, the louder we make your song the more it is compressed. Some compression can sound nice but when over-
done, percussive instruments lose their punch and the song
can have a pumping or even distorted sound. This is different
for every song but I think you get the idea.
Often times, bands will want to have a specific person master
their songs. If I recorded and mixed the project, it’s not a bad
idea to get some fresh ears on it to do the mastering, especially
long, drawn out albums. But honestly, probably 75% of the
time, I master my projects because of budget restraints.
I hope this sheds a little light on the mastering process and
why it’s so vital for a final, “radio ready” project. Each engineer/producer works differently and have their own techniques but the mastering process is typically the same. Our
goal is to deliver a competitively “loud” and sonically balanced
final product while retaining as much dynamics and feel as
possible.
Acoustic Drive | 9